Pick Me Up
by Giantpanda
Summary: Sawyer does what he can to help Claire deal with her postpartum blues.


TITLE: Pick Me Up  
RATING: PG – 13  
SUMMARY: Sawyer does what he can to help Claire deal with her postpartum blues.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then the focus on certain characters would change and there would be ConMama and more Shayid.

Once again, Sawyer sat outside his shelter, having been banned from helping with the raft. He had been bringing wood and other random scraps to their worksite, but Michael seemed to think it would go better if Sawyer was out of the way. He tried to pretend that it didn't hurt that he was pushed out of the little group, but it did. Especially since Michael, Jin, Walt and him planned on being on the raft together for who knew how long. Sawyer had thought that for once maybe he had actually done something he had never done before – he thought he had made a friend.

He decided that he wasn't going to think about it anymore. It didn't matter. As soon as the raft was finished, he would be off this island, away from the people who were beginning to make him care. His eyes wandered away from where Jin and Michael continued working, towards the edge of the jungle where Claire sat with her baby. He really wished she would name that child. He didn't understand why he felt a bang in his heart at the thought that he would be gone before the baby was named. He didn't know why it should bother him so much. He tried to tell himself that it was because he was a curious person. He had done everything he could to open Kate's suitcase just because he needed to know what was inside, not because he really cared. Yet, there seemed to be something else to this desire to learn the baby's name that he wasn't quite sure of.

He watched as she rested the little one on the blanket. She frowned, and pulled at the pouch of fabric on her shirt. She looked around as if to see if anyone was watching. She pulled her shirt up slightly and looked at her stomach. Sawyer's breath caught in his throat as he hoped that she would lift it higher. Instead she dropped it back down with a sigh he could see even from several feet away.

He hated that she hadn't really smiled since before Aaron's birth. No matter what had been happening on the island, he was always able to count on her to be smiling. And new mothers were supposed to be happy, even if they were exhausted. He wondered where the VH1 reject was, and realized he didn't care. Sawyer could imagine that Claire was terrified of raising a child on this crazy island, but that didn't mean he didn't miss her smile. She had a way of making him feel better, feel lighter, feel at peace. He didn't understand it. He hadn't even really noticed it until she had walked by him that day on the beach when he had offered her some fish. Now, whenever he saw her, he felt something deep inside that he had never felt before.

He stood, wiping the sand of his pants and then running his fingers through his hair. He knew how to make her smile. He sauntered over to where she sat so she could enjoy the sun but the trees still provided some shade. He tugged at his shirt to make sure it wasn't too wrinkled from sitting around. He wasn't used to these feelings of nervousness. This was the first time that he had gone up to a woman without the intention to get her into bed or take her money. His goal was simply to make her smile again. Still, his heart beat faster with each step he took.

Looking down at her, he said, "Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by you again?"

She looked up at him with one hand around her stomach as if to hide her body. She shaded her eyes with her other hand, her head cocked to the side as if she was trying to understand what he was talking about.

Sawyer sank down into the sand beside her, careful not to disturb the baby. He leaned back on his elbows.

"Have I ever told you that you look just like my first wife?"

"I didn't know you'd been married," she said compassionately.

"I haven't," he said, suppressing a grin.

She crinkled her nose. "Then how do I look like your first wife?"

Sawyer tried not to laugh as her face turned red, as her eyes filled with understanding. He racked his brain for some more of the craziest pick up lines he had ever heard. He wanted desperately to make her smile.

"If I received a nickel for every time I saw someone as beautiful as you, I'd have five cents."

Her arm fell away from her stomach as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through the golden strands.

"Are you a parking ticket?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I do not have fine written on me."

"Damn, one you've heard."

"Why did you come over, Sawyer?"

"Thought you might like to go shopping for some new clothes."

Her gaze fell to the ground, and for some reason he felt guilty. He hadn't meant for it to hurt her.

"You've got to find some stuff that shows off your body."

She snorted. "What body?"

Sawyer scanned his eyes over her body. He knew he needed to tread carefully with what he said next. He didn't want to push her too hard, and he knew that no matter what he said she might think that he was lying. Truth was Claire's post-baby body was hot. He imagined that it was even hotter than before she was pregnant. He bit his tongue not to tell her that she had a great rack and a nice ass too.

He leaned closer. "Haven't you heard anything I've said?"

"Cheesy pick up lines mean nothing."

He stood up, and held out his hand for hers. "I'll go with you and you model for me. I'm an expert in sexy."

Shaking her head, she said, "I believe it."

She placed her hand in his, and he gently pulled her to standing. She placed her hand in his, and he gently pulled her to standing. He started into her eyes mesmerized by what he saw. He felt as if he could fall into them and be safe. His breath caught in his through. How was it that she looked as if she could see his soul, could see everything about him, and still didn't care?

"You got a map?" he asked softly. "I just keep on getting lost in your eyes."

She hit him gently on the shoulder, and then bent down to pick up her son. Sawyer almost told her never mind, going to find clothing was not what he should be doing. He should just walk away. He had seen something in her eyes that he had never seen before. Claire trusted him, maybe even liked him. Before it was just a joke, and it probably didn't matter anyway. She belonged to Charlie, and would never look at Sawyer that way. This shopping trip was not going to be a good idea.

They walked together in silence as they made their way to the clothing pile. He figured they'd be able to find something there that would fit her better than the black tank top she continued to wear. Something low and clingy was his wish. He knew she'd look beautiful no matter what, but he knew what type of clothes he'd be picking for her.

Finally, they made it to the pile. Sawyer started rooting through handing her the things he thought would look best on her. Tank tops, mini-skirts, halter tops, tight pants. He picked out clothing he would have expected to find in Sticks' suitcase.

"Take the baby," she said exasperatedly.

"Why?"

"I'm not a hooker, Sawyer. Let me pick out my clothes."

He looked down at the pile he had accumulated and didn't see anything wrong with them. With a sigh, he gently took the little one from his mama's arms. Even with all the times he'd read to the baby, this was the first time Sawyer had held him. It felt right.

He felt Claire's eyes on him. "What?"

"You look good holding him," she said shyly before turning back to the clothing pile.

Sawyer frowned. Did that mean she didn't think he normally looked good? How did a baby make him look better? He remembered how some women would swoon when they saw a guy holding a baby, but he didn't think it was that big of a deal. The baby whimpered distracting Sawyer, who started to talk softly.

"I'm ready," Claire said finally.

She picked up a pile of clothes and moved behind some of the trees. Sawyer wanted to watch her change, but realized that this was as close as he'd be able to get.

Claire stepped forward wearing a long flowery skirt with a peasant top revealed the upper curves of her breasts and a good amount of cleavage.

"Did it hurt when you feel from heaven?" he said with a grin.

She laughed. "So cheesy pick up lines mean it looks good?"

"I could be more descriptive, but your son is present."

She blushed before going to try something else on. Sawyer's arms were growing tired and he adjusted the baby in his arms.

Claire stepped out again, this time in jeans and a simple t-shirt.

"Do you have a mirror in your pocket?"

She looked down at the pants, "Why?"

" 'Cause I could see myself in your pants."

She played with the fabric of the shirt, unsure how to respond. Even with her downcast eyes, he could see the slightest start of a smile. He was relieved. Sawyer thought maybe that one was pushing it too far. Finally, she just turned around and went to try on the next outfit.

"Your mama's hot," Sawyer whispered to the baby.

"I don't know about this one," Claire called from behind the trees.

"I'll tell you what I think."

Reluctantly she stepped out in a dress that fell just above her knees. The neckline was low, but not distastefully so. She looked beautiful. If he had seen her before in that dress, these pick up lines would have been more than a trick to simply make her smile.

Swallowing hard he asked, "If I said you had a great body, would you hold it against me?"

Her eyes grew big at what he had said, but then a slow smile found its way on her face. Finally, his mission was complete. Her eyes sparkled as she bent down to pick up all the clothing.

"I'm just going to take the rest with me. I don't know how many more lines I can hear from you."

"I won't be running out anytime soon, darlin'."

She took the baby from his arms. "Thank you, Sawyer. You're the first person who realized what was bothering me. I'm sure you had other things you could have been doing."

He shrugged. "Nothing's better than the company of a beautiful woman."

"Thank you."

He noticed she wasn't changing out of the dress, and he was grateful for that.

For the first time on the island, Sawyer felt at peace. He had a conversation with someone that didn't end with fighting. He wondered what she would say if he tried one more pick up line. This time however, he kind of really wanted an answer. The way the dress clung to each of her curves made him begin to picture her out of it. He wanted more.

"If I were to ask you for sex, would your answer be the same as the answer to this question?"

He held back his laughter as he watched her puzzle what answer to give him. As she took her time answer, he began to wonder if he had overstepped the unseen boundaries placed in their friendship.

"Maybe," she answered.

Sawyer stood in stunned silence as she started laughing. That was not the answer he had expected. He had been prepared for a slap in the face or a "go to hell," but never a maybe. It seemed that he hadn't been that far off in his assumption that she liked him. He watched the way her hips swayed as she walked down the beach. He realized that he was in deep trouble. He needed to get on that raft quickly before something bad happened.

Such as falling in love.

The End


End file.
